Look to the growing edge! Howard Thurman Edge has its advantages. When Lewis shielded his head with a hand, the trooper hit Lewis again as he tried to get up. 0 Ratings 3 Want to read; 0 Currently reading; 0 Have read; Borrow Listen. Faith, patience, truth, love, peace, study, and reconciliation: these are the buckets into which Lewis pours his message about the inner transformation that must be realized to effect lasting social change. A civil rights pioneer and Georgia congressman, Lewis (Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of a Movement) seeks to inspire nonviolent activism in a time that he regards as the most violent in history. The police tell them to turn around and they choose to kneel instead. I just re-read this book for a class I'm teaching this semester on the history, philosophy, and practice of nonviolence. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. Hyperion, $22.99 (192p) ISBN 978-1-4013-2411-7 Still, he is pointed as an excellent orator. Lean toward the whispers of your own heart, discover the universal truth, and follow its dictates. The sections are titled: faith, patience, study, act, peace, love and reconciliation. Four days later, they reached Montgomery with the crowd growing to 25,000 by the time they reached the capitol steps. He thought that the eventual aim of Americas developers was alike: Making it easy, not challenging for every citizen to follow their dreams.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'goodbooksummary_com-leader-4','ezslot_19',118,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-goodbooksummary_com-leader-4-0'); The civil rights movement enhanced this story in a very significant way. Thus, he committed his life to get to know the reasons for his world to be in this way. There is definitely a Christian bent here, unsurprising for a man who studied to be a preacher, and he often makes an effort to extend into broader ideas of faith. In a seemingly more partitioned world than ever, this is a message we must take into account. What that legacy will be is determined by the people of that generation. It was a strong commitment to demonstrating the truth: equality of humans is an unnegotiable right. His wisdom, poignant recollections, and powerful ideas will inspire a new generation to usher in a freer, more peaceful society. And if you follow your truth down the road to peace and the affirmation of love, if you shine like a beacon for all to see, then the poetry of all the great dreamers and philosophers is yours to manifest in a nation, a world community, and a Beloved Community that is finally at peace with itself., Every generation leaves behind a legacy. Here's what the ratings mean: 10 Brilliant. Students, fans and supporters of the civil rights movement repeatedly ask Congressman John Lewis the same question: How did you do it?Some wonder how Lewis and his peers pursued civil rights goals when they faced racism, police violence and jail sentences.Others ask how activists remained faithful to their lofty goals in the face of brutal hypocrisy. The trouble with reviewing an audio book, especially one that I took 6 months to list/read, is it is hard to remember things. I learned so much about the Civil Rights movement, and what's more, the lessons he provides are timely today for the desire for change we see percolating in our society. I can't imagine that you wouldn't get a sense of that presence and quiet charisma, just being around them. Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work/Biography. A short book with the wisdom of a prophet and the compassion of one who has sacrificed all for the cause of peace and justice. An instance of the success of the movement could be observed in the talk of Lewis about the bad old days with kids of the partitioned South. . It is the foundation of all things. eNotes.com, Inc. 2004 eNotes.com 29 Mar. Networks for Social Change: Life on the Edge. Quotes By John Lewis. Scientific Youll get facts and figures grounded in scientific research. Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work/Biography. And coming as it does from a civil rights hero like John Lewis, this is important information for our own time. They managed to clear the intrinsic load of hate in white Southerners as well.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'goodbooksummary_com-leader-3','ezslot_18',112,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-goodbooksummary_com-leader-3-0'); 40 years later of the attack in Rock Hill, Lewis is surprisingly called by someone. A group of 600 people, including activists John . This book is a must read. However, he never used violence and not even raised a hand to the assailants to defend himself. It was in another millennium, another decade, and at another time in our history, but it pushed through America like a storm. She was a tailor in Montgomery, Alabama, and also an activist, and worked as the secretary in her local chapter of the NAACP. John Lewis (left) and Hosea Williams, July 26, 1965 Click to Zoom In Six months after "Bloody Sunday," President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Voting Rights Act. As Henry Thoreau strongly believed, to comply with an unjust system is to accept abuse. Book 1 opens with a young John Lewis standing on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. An inspiring read for anyone seeking to bring justice, peace and love to the world. In ten short years, there was a tempest that transformed what the American Revolution did not address, what the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were afraid to confront, what the Civil War could not unravel, what Reconstruction tried to mediate, and Jim Crow did its best to retrench. It's a smaller book, broken up into sections on foundational lessons from Lewis's life, like "Faith," "Patience," "Peace," and "Love." In Across That Bridge, Congressman John Lewis draws from his experience as a prominent leader of the Civil Rights Movement to offer timeless wisdom, poignant recollections, and powerful principles for anyone interested in challenging injustices and inspiring real change toward a freer, more peaceful society. Visionary Youll get a glimpse of the future and what it might mean for you. Lots of pacifist protestors were ruthlessly battered, and hospitalization was needed for some of them. These are perhaps the most powerful, for Lewis's generosity of spirit and commitment to justice shine through brightly, illuminating the possibilities of what it means to be fully human in our world and resist brutality and oppression. WATCH: Full episodes of 'I Was There' online now. You have to disperse, you are ordered to disperse. A contrast is called to mind between the aimless rioting and looting seen in present day, and the studied, planned, non-violent approaches of the earlier era, that led to an end of segregation and other injustices in the American South. The reason for the success of this movement was partly this gift. Manage Settings And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. According to Lewis, this is named faith. He bears witness to the ways in which these practices came together in the Civil Rights Movement, and particularly in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, to create a context where the movement was modeling the kind of world it was striving to create. I deliberately took my time reading this important memoir. During their path throughout the South, activists were brutally attacked by crowds. Truly an incredible experience reading this book. Every shock was further evidence that our racially fallacious society could not put out the fire for the freedom it felt. Refresh and try again. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? Innovative You can expect some truly fresh ideas and insights on brand-new products or trends. They pushed back Lewis and Williams. In the movement, we didn't know how history would play itself out. He read all the newspapers and history, the theory of politics, and philosophy books he found. Lean toward the whispers of your own heart, discover the universal truth, and follow its dictates. For instance, it may offer decent advice in some areas while being repetitive or unremarkable in others. Whatever we select for our library has to excel in one or the other of these two core criteria: Enlightening Youll learn things that will inform and improve your decisions. Nearly a century after the Confederacys guns fell silent, the racial legacies of slavery and Reconstruction continued to reverberate loudly throughout Alabama in 1965. 11:07:45 MS. DIANE REHM Congressman Lewis joins me in the studio. With the passing of this hero of the Civil Rights movement and Conscience of the Congress I think many could benefit from this memoir and extended essay. Parks was not someone who just sat down because she was tired, but was a committed civil rights activist who put her faith in the tools she learned at Highlander and chose to take the stand that was needed. Since that dreadful day, America has made a big improvement in closing the racial gap. The part of the book I liked best was Lewis's thorough explanation of the philosophy of the non-violent movement. This is primer on activism using Lewis life and the civil rights movement as examples. It is not the role of the citizen to follow the government down a path that violates his or her own conscience., We are one people, one family, the human family, and what affects one of us affects us all., Nothing can stop the power of a committed and determined people to make a difference in our society. Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America John Lewis 4.32 5,760 ratings491 reviews Although it has been decades since the historic social upheavals of the 1960s, Americans continue to look to the Civil Rights Movement as the apotheosis of political expression. Its not a primer for non-violent change but rather a pathway to change. Best of all, its realistic. I believe that we are all a spark of the divine, and if that spark is nurtured it can become a burning flame, an eternal force of light. Just like John Lewis and his counterparts inspired from the previous battles, activists in current times can take the civil rights movement as a template to influence the conditions in their world favorably. A beautiful book. Eye opening Youll be offered highly surprising insights. It rarely happens all at once. But, as Good Book Summary is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Rooted in the teachings of Ghandi, Kennedy, King, Mandela and other champions of non-violent activism, this book reads like a beautiful melody. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. After a few moments, the troopers, with gas masks affixed to their faces and clubs at the ready, advanced. The late John Lewis offers his thoughts on social activism in this short book. We need to live the truthand we need to set the right example. They do not care about raising indigence, joblessness, unsafe food, homelessness, and obstacles to health care. Instead, I decided I wanted to read this one first because several other people had suggested it to me after John Lewis died. They took huge steps, however, the war has not completely won. Furthermore, with exciting examples from his exceptional life, you will learn the fundamentals of all real activists. This march will not continue., Mr. Follow Chris on Twitter @historyauthor. On March 7, 1965, John Lewis led a group of peaceful protestors onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. However, he had the faith that made him continue to believe his convictions. The subtitle says it all: This book was one of the most profound, intelligent, thought provoking works I have ever read. This country was founded on the ideal that we are all created equal. Courageous, hopeful and inspiring civil rights leader John Lewis is one of my heroes. Each of us must answer those questions according to the dictates of our conscience and the principles of our faith. Introduction: Some men see things as they are and say Why? I dream things that never were and say Why not? Robert F. Kennedy, Faith: Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11: 1, Patience: Without patience, we will learn less in life. 6 Notable. Moreover to all these, when Black people started to come for registration during the civil rights movement, the Registrars Office just shut down to prohibit this. He was a leader in the American Civil Rights Movement and chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), playing a key role in the struggle to end segregation. Another thing I didn't like was the middle of the book in which Lewis gave principles of the movement that should be followed today. In this engaging memoir, he details his journey through rural Alabama, the 1960s-era voting rights protests and the halls of Congress. A helpful and/or enlightening book, in spite of its obvious shortcomings. Updated: July 18, 2020 | Original: March 6, 2015. However, he also formed his persona knowingly. 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